Grabhook



Jan. 2, 1945. STAHL V 2,366,157

GRAB HOOK Filed March 28, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR H.L.Slaf2l Jan. 2, 1945.

A. L. STAHL GRAB HOOK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 28, 1944 Via INVENTOR .6. 115251191 Patented Jan. 2.1945

j UN D STATE S: PATENT OFFICE-1 a w GRABHOOK AlbertI I -Stahl, (lupertino flalifi A pplicationMa-rcltfi, 1944; seriar1vb. sea-eve This invention relates in'general to from a. crane for engagement fwith'an object'to' be lifted; and in particular the invention is di rectedto improvements inaigrabhookof thetype adapted to grip and lift-sheetmetal or plates; the. device being especially useful intship-building yards where cranes are empl'oyedtomove thest'eel'plates from place toplace.

The principal object of this invention is" to provide a grab hook adapted to" be suspended from a crane; and'arranged for control solely by thecrane operatorfi. e1, thexcraneoperatorat' his station remotefrom thegra'bhookcanplace the" latter on an upstanding plate andefiect grip ping engagementof said grab hooktherewith; and

after the plateha s been movedb'yjthe" crane the an im proved grabyhook of'thefltype adaptedWo beisuspended" engaged in gripping relation-witha plate for-lift ingthelatter: l

Figure 3' is" an end" View of the device; Figure'4 is afragmentary elevation, on reduced scale, showing a'modifiewforrrrof thezcontrol hook:

Referring now actors of reference on the drawings; my improved" grab hook comprisesa bodwma-keup ofa-pair of upstanding plates-1 disposed in spaced parallelrelation, said plates" being symmetrical and l a decreasing in width fronrtop-to bottom. A ver tical throat Z'is'cut in-"the plates-upwardly' frorrrthelower end thereof; such throatbeing relaroperatorcan release and remove the" grab"hook therefrom; In otherwordsth'egrab hookis-controlled solely by proper manipulation of the crane" and without the necessity off'anattendantat the grabhook.

Ari-additional object of th' invention isto'prm vide' a grab hook formejtal plates which'comprises; in combination with a body and plate engaging jaws pivoted thereon; uniquenteans including a one piece supporting eye'an'd hook arrangedso' that the operation ofthejaws-iscontively deep and at its lower end flaring" outwardly on both sides, as at 31 A-pairof flttariiistare pivoted attheir lowerwends between the plates- I Y adjacent the lower end of the latter but omen--- posit'e sid'esof thethroat 2-: the arm' pivots being shown at .5 and these pivotsserving to maintain thepiatesl against separation. at l Thearms 4- project upwardly and outwardly from pivots 5; and terminate at their upper and'it outer ends clear ofthe plates 1; yThearmsJ above pivots 5- and at their inner edges are late erally enlarged and formed as eccentric' toothed jaws 6; said jaw being adapted to swing into-the trolled by manipulation of saidione piece'eye and hook relative'to a'cross pin on'thebody, and which pin the hook is adapted to' releasably engage.

Other. objects of theinvention are to provide a" grab hook which-canbe readilyandquickly ape plied to orreleased rroma steel plate, and which: is capable of handling plates of dilferentthick ness without necessityof anyadjustment;

A- further object of the invention is-to produce" a: simple and inexpensive deviceand yet one which will be exceedingly effective for theg purpose for which it is designed. l

between the plane of said plates.

throat 2 upon upward andinwardswinging movement of the arm 4. a l A pair of parallel "spaced-links l straddle each of the arms 4' at its' -upper end and aresecured"- thereto by'pivots8i An eye 9 cut from a flat sheet of-metal -otlesser thicknessithan: the space between plates :l is disposed above thelatter in a plane: parallel to but; The. pairstoil linkssl extendupwardlyin convergin g relation and at theirluppen ends; straddlethe eye, 9 onmopm These objects I accomplish bymeansof such structureand relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of th'e-following specification and claims.

In"thedrawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the grab hook as suspended from a crane; thegrab hook being shown in full lines in its initial or inoperative position, while the one-piece supporting eye and control hook of the device isshown in dotted lines in the position it occupies after release from the cross pin but before raising to effect gripping of the plate.

Figure 2 is a side elevation oflthe grab hook positeqsidesi adjacent but short of. the lower end" thereof; pivots: III securing; the links. I to. saideye:

Below. thel pivotsslllwthe eye.9:is. formed with.

alhook, H whichisflopen to. one edgeof theweyejatw right angles: to a. cross: pin l2 fixed betweem the; plates; l1 attthe :topycentrally; between the sides ofsaidwplates. .Thevhookiwl l isuadapted. to engage."

more particularly to thechar-- With the grab hook in the position shown in Fig. l, the crane operator manipulates the crane and lowers the grab hook so that the upstanding plate P to be lifted enters throat 2; the flaring portions 3 of said throat guiding the plate into the latter. Thereupon, and as soon as plates I are supported by plate P, the operator lowers the eye 9 until the hook ll drops from cross pin l2, moves the eye 9 laterally to the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1 by manipulation of the crane, and thereafter lifts eye 9 with hook ll clear of cross pin l2. movement of eye 9 causes the links I to swing the arms 4 upwardly and inwardly, whereupon the eccentric jaws 6 come into gripping engagement with the plate 9. As so gripped the plate is lifted by the crane and moved to" the desired place.

To release the grab hook from the plate after the latter has been seated on the ground, the operator lowers eye 9 to release the jaws 6 from the plate, and then manipulates said eye by the crane to re-engage hook II with cross pin l2, whereupon the grab hook may be lifted free of the plate as the jaws are then held in inoperative position clear of the throat.

The above described operation can be readily and speedily accomplished by the crane'op erator and it is not necessary for another person to attend the placement or removal of the grab hook from the work, .One of the essential features of my improved grab hook is the one-piece rigid supporting eye 9 and hook II which permits the operator to accomplish the operation in the manner described.

In the modificationshown in Fig. 4 the eye 9a includes a hook llq, which is double; 1. e. the hook includes pin receiving notches N open to opposite edges of the eye, whereby to facilitate engagement of the hook with the pin. With the above double hook, the crane operator can readily engage the hook with the pin, regardless of the side of the pin to which the hook is disposed when thedeviceis in a released position.

From the foregoing description it will'be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device,

I still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Continued lifting close said jaws on the object upon upward movement of the element relative to said member; a

hook rigid with and depending from said element, and a pin projecting from the member above said jaws, the element being swingably movable in a vertical and horizontal direction in a plane intersecting said pin, and the hook being disposed to releasably engage said pin on its underside.

2. In a grab hook which includes an upstanding member adapted to seat on an object to be lifted, jaws mounted on the member in position for movement to engage said object therebetween, an upstanding connection element disposed above the member, and means between the jaws and element, including a pair of upwardly extending links pivotally connected at their upperends-to said element, arranged to close said jaws on the object upon upward movement of the element relative to said member; a hook formed integral with said element, and a pin projecting from the member above the jaws, the. element being swingably movable in a vertical and horizontal direction in a plane intersectin said pin on its underside.

3. A grab hook as in claim 2 in which the 'element is an eye adapted to receive the lifting hook of a crane; the hook being formed at the lower end of said eye.

4. In a grab hook, an upstanding body com prising spaced flat plates secured in facing parallel relation, said body having a vertical throat I cut therein from and open to its lower end, ec

centric jaws pivoted between the plates in posiing upwardly from the arms inconverging rela- ,tion above the body, an eye disposed above the body, said eye being flat and parallel to the body,

the upper ends of said pairs of links straddling and being pivoted to the eye on opposite sides thereof, an integral hook formed with said eye adjacent its lower end, said hook opening to one side edge of the eye, and a rigid cross pin connected between the body plates at the top in vertical alinement with said throat, the hook being adapted to releasably engage said pin on its underside. f

'5. A grab hook as in claim 4 in which the thickness of the flat eye hook is less than the space between the body plates whereby the hook projects therebetween for engagement with said cross pin.

6. A grab hook as in claim 1 in which the hook is double and includes pin receiving notches open to opposite sides thereof.

ALBERT L. STAHL. 

